Relic guardians

主题语境：文物保护篇幅：357词建议用时：7分钟

1After packing some bread and a water bottle,Shan Zhizheng and his wife start up their motorcycle and head off to a cultural relic site.Their starting point is the pastoral and farming landscape of Wenquan County in northwest China.

2Known as a museum without walls,Wenquan County is home to nearly 260 cultural relic sites under various levels of protection,including tombs,cliff paintings and ruins,which provide materials for researching the history of ancient northern nomads (游牧民)and tribes.

3Shan and his wife Yuan Qin are responsible for protecting one particular relic site that spans about 8 square kilometers.Once a week,the couple patrols over 200 ancient tombs built from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty.Their relic protection routine usually includes walking around the site to look for footprints and motorcycle tracks,keeping records of the tombs,and updating the local cultural relic authorities in a timely manner.

4Shan has been working as a field conservator for some five years.However,his bond with cultural relics goes back much further.In 1999,his family was assigned a piece of wasteland covering 20 hectares,with the aim of working it as farmland.Quite by chance,Shan found two saddle-shaped millstones in a field that he was farming.Although he noticed abrasion(磨损)marks on the objects,he didn't know they were cultural relics.Thereafter,Shan found several stone tools,bits of pottery and other cultural relics on the wasteland and placed them in his home.

5In 2008,Shan invited experts from the Wenquan Cultural Relic Protection Bureau to his home to identify the “relics” he had found.Experts estimated that the millstones might belong to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,and they may provide some insight into the production and living conditions of locals during the period.

6Although Shan takes delight in his daily work,there are still many challenges in the role.Sometimes,the husband-and-wife team has to trek through valleys and rivers as their motorcycle can't cope with the steeper slopes.However,none of these difficulties canundermineShan's love for cultural relic preservation.

Reading

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Gist 1.What does paragraph 2 focus on?

A.Life of Shan and his wife.

B.Location of Wenquan County.

C.Significance of Wenquan County.

D.History of ancient nomads.

Inference 2.Which of the following can best describe Shan and his wife?

A.Lazy.

B.Gifted.

C.Ambitious.

D.Dutiful.

Detail 3.Why did Shan invite experts to his home?

A.To discuss a study.

B.To know more about relic protection.

C.To identify the millstones he had found.

D.To learn to make marks on the ancient tombs.

Vocabulary 4.What does the underlined word “undermine” in paragraph 6 mean?

A.Influence.

B.Weaken.

C.Show.

D.Determine.

Language

Study

Ⅰ.日积月累

variousadj.各种各样的

protectionn.保护

includev.包含

updatev.更新

thereafteradv.在那之后

insightn.了解；洞悉

estimatev.估算

trekv.长途跋涉

cultural relics 文化遗产

be home to 是……的产地/家园

once a week 一周一次

keep records of 记录

in a timely manner 及时地

belong to 属于

living conditions 生活状况

take delight in 乐于……

cope with 对付；处理

Ⅱ.单句填空

1.You take delight________my pains.

2.Tents come in________(vary)shapes and sizes.

3.You should keep records________your expenses.

4.He asked to be put under police________(protect).

5.I've got three days'holiday,________(include)New Year's Day.